Wild About Wild Life

Have you ever had the problem of those pesky squirrels running up and eating your birds suet cakes. With the recent cold weather squirrels have been eating my suet cakes much to the dismay of our local  Woodpecker’s and Chickadees and other feathered friends that find energy and strength from you good winter offerings.

There may be some solutions that just might work for you. Here are some you may want to consider.  

Squirrels do not like pepper. When purchasing suet, or making your own, be sure that pepper is an ingredient. The Squirrels will be deterred from the suet, however this will not harm your local bird friends. When placing suet, you should look for a type of “cage within a cage ” – type system. This allows the smaller birds to go in and eat and enjoy the suet where the squirrels can’t. These type of suet feeders have a removable metal plate to block the bottom and keep the squirrels out. After you have discouraged them from entering, they will leave your feeder alone, then you can pull out the plate and the larger woodpeckers like Flickers and Red Heads can feed from the bottom.

Another note, based on a question that I was asked recently, you may use Fat Free Peanut butter in your homemade suet, however, keep in mind that it is the fat that the birds needs in order to help produce energy thus keeping their bodies warm in the wintertime. So if you use fat free products in your suet, pleae be sure to add some bacon fat or another form of fat to the recipe, otherwise you’re really wasting your time as well as the birds.

For some really cool suet food recipe ideas, check these out and tell us what you think.  Visit: http://nestbirds1.com/?p=450 for suet bird recipes.

As always, Happy Birding and oh….don’t forget to get your birdhouses and feeders out NOW! NOW is the time, so you’re wildlife will get used to them being there and then increase your chances of inhabitation.  ~ The Birdhouse Guy ~

Miracle Meal recipe with variations

 

• 1 lb. lard
• 1 cup peanut butter
• 5-6 cups yellow cornmeal
• 1/3 cup flour
• 1 cup dried currants

Warm lard to room temp, mix with peanut butter and currants (or finely chopped raisins).             

Add flour and cornmeal until consistency of course pie dough.

May be divided into small plastic bags and frozen until needed. Not mentioned in the article is the addition of any nuts, coconut, dried fruit on hand which has been practically pulverized in processor. Note: Another recipe  called Miracle Meal calls for :

• 4 cups yellow cornmeal
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup lard, melted suet, or grease
• 1 tsp. corn oil
• Sunflower hearts, peanut hearts, chopped soaked raisins.

Melt lard and stir in sunflower and peanut hearts and raisins. Mix in corn oil, cornmeal and flour. Let this set up, and then cut into chunks. NOTE: If it comes out sandy, pour more melted lard over it so it will crumble or you can shape it into balls.

 

All Season Peanut Butter Pudding

 

• 1 cup crunchy peanut butter
• 2 cups quick oats
• 2 cups yellow cornmeal
• 1 cup lard (no substitutes)
• 1 cup white/wheat flour
• 1/3 cup sugar  

Melt lard and peanut butter. Add remaining ingredients. Pour into plastic freezer containers or forms (use previously purchased plastic suet containers). Freeze or refrigerate until use (if use is intended within a week – otherwise freeze). You can also add various dried fruit and sunflower “meats” to this basic recipe during winter months for woodpeckers, finches, and other grosbeaks of all varieties. Expect squirrel problems with this nutty, intoxicating stuff…hang the pudding in an “upside down” feeder, or location you can provide some squirrel patrol. Double or triple the receipt, but don’t forget to use heavy duty utensils, this stuff is thick and heavy.  

 * For more information on suet ingredients or if you’d rather purchase suet rather than make your own, check out the variety of different suet and feeders at:  http://www.wildlife-houses.com/index.php?cPath=17&osCsid=5ebadce31f27bd7df53d0e27e512dd44    

 

 

 

For those of you getting ready for winter and wanting to try your hand at “home made” suet, here are some recipes that you may want to put together that would we yer local birdies whistle. As mentioned in the other article, birds love suet and it provides some good energy during those cold, winter months. Enjoy yourself as you put these together and make good suet like “mom used to make”.                                                                  

Here are some folks that have steped out and have shared their successful recipes.      

 

 

Bluebird Banquet (Linda Janilla Peterson)©

·      MIX 1 cup peanut butter

·      4 cups yellow cornmeal

·      1 cup unbleached or whole-wheat flour

·      ADD 1 cup fine sunflower seed chips

·      1 cup peanut hearts (or finely ground nuts)

·      1/2-1 cup Zante currants (or raisins cut in halves, or chopped dried cherries)

·      DRIZZLE and STIR IN 1 cup rendered, melted suet

Cool.

Resulting mix will be crumbly and should have bean/pea sized lumps from the drizzling of the melted suet. If too sticky after cooling, mix in a bit more flour. If too dry, drizzle in more melted suet. Refrigerate any mix you are not using to prevent suet from turning rancid.

You can use a commercial pure bird suet cake, or render your own suet. Grind or cube butcher store suet. Melt over low heat. Watch carefully as suet is a fat and can start on fire with too high heat. A microwave can be used. Strain out the stringy bits (cracklings). Cool.

NOTE: This mixture is very popular with bluebirders. Some say you can use solid shortening in place of the suet and it works fine. You may want to double up on the amount of suet if the recipe is too crumbly.

 

High Protein Bluebird Suet Mix (Dan McCue)

• 10 lbs of yellow corn meal with 5 lbs of plain flour.
• Melt about 7 cups of lard and 3 cups of crunchy peanut butter.

Pour liquid mixture gradually over the dry mixture (ingredients), blending it and adding more liquid until it reaches a fairly firm consistency.

• Add raisins, cracked peanuts, crushed eggshells, too.

Pack the mixture into pans (or wooden container) lined with wax paper so the depth of the mixture will fit your feeder. Place in freezer until firm (about 45 to one hour), cut with knife or pizza cutter to fit in your feeder, and place back into freezer until hard. Break apart the strips (about one inch thick x 1 1/2 inch wide x 6 inches long.) and place into gallon freezer baggies. return to freezer until needed. This should make about enough for a year. This sounds like a lot of work but you only do it once a year!! You will have flickers, all types of woodpeckers, as well as bluebirds. A friend of mine in McKenzie , TN has a photo that won a national wildlife award, showing 7 bluebirds all feeding off the same feeder in one picture. This was the recipe he uses. Oh, yes, you can save money by going to your local feed store for your corn meal. I buy up peanut butter when on sale or at these wholesale ‘bent & dent’ stores.

*(Special thanks to Sialis.com) *                                                

 

***If you really don’t want to make suet and would rather purchse it, simply visit:  http://bit.ly/37mzF9  or if you have any questions concerning the topic of suet or wildlife, contact me at: freedomenterprises@bresnan.net .

Happy Birding!

What in the world is Suet?  In plain terms, suet is a beef fat-based bird food. If you think it strange that birds enjoy eating animal fat, we’ll have you know that suet is not only beef fat but has other ingredients added to it, like peanuts, fruits, raisins, nuts, bread crumbs, sunflower seeds, and corn. That sure makes one tasty combo! To top it off, suet is a low-cost food source and thus the ideal main course for your bird feeder menu. The birds, as you will have gathered, just love it.

 

Where in the world can you buy Suet?  Suet is typically sold in small blocks, which you simply buy and place in your suet feeder. Alternatively you can make it at home, but only if you really know what to put in and in the precise quantities that will ensure a good meal for your feathered birdies in yer neck of the woods. If you buy the suet blocks, you may pay between a dollar and two dollars per block. And if you can manage the storage space, buy in bulk, which will work out to be even cheaper.

What in the world should be in the Suet?  Remember, for homemade suet, some ingredients such as certain fruits may cause problems during summer because they spoil easily. That is not to say that all suet bird food is unsuitable for summer, however. All you do is leave out the fruit component and concentrate on the dry ingredients such as corn and sunflower seeds.

Finally, suet is irresistible to squirrels as well, so you have to keep them away using the right squirrel guards and baffles. Now you can relax and watch as your local thrushes, cardinals, chickadees, blue jays, sparrows, finches, wrens, woodpeckers, and even robins drop by and partake in a great dining experience that YOU have provided in yer neck of the woods.

* For more information on how you can aquire suet feeders, squirrel baffles and suet, simply visit:  http://bit.ly/1TcMFB or if you have any questions about this subject or other wildlife inquiries, feel free to email me at: freedomenterprises@bresnan.net !     Happy Birding!